Casilda Selestino
| name = | image = | kanji = ヘブンリートライアンフ | romaji = Selestino Casilda | race = Arrancar (Vasto-Lorde) | birthday = Unspecified | age = 25 (in appearance) | gender = Female | height = Unspecified | weight = Unspecified | eyes = Hazel | hair = Black | blood type = Unknown | affiliation = Espada Afilado | previous affiliation = Ahijados | occupation = Primera Espada of the Espada Afilado Head of the Afilado Special Ops Member of Ahijados | previous occupation = None | team = Ahijados Espada Afilado | previous team = None | partner = Findor Carias, 666 | previous partner = Afable Jugador | base of operations = Hueco Mundo | marital status = Single | relatives = Nohemi de la Cruz (mother) Jinete del Juicio(father) | education = Unknown | status = Active | resurreccion = Verdugo }} Casilda Selestino, or better known as Cortez Selestino (ヘブンリートライアンフ, Korutes Selestino) is an Arrancar, Primera Espada of the Espada Afilado and head of the Operaciones Especiales. She is also a spy inserted within the cult Ahijados, serving as a double agent in order to investigate the cult's activities within Hueco Mundo. She initially serves as one of the central antagonists of the Bleach: The Children of Izanami arc, but slowly shifts roles to a supporting protagonist in the later events of the arc and Bleach: The War of Four. Personality Mannerisms & Hobies Socially, Casilda can prove to be lazy, unenthusiastic, and extremely easily bored. Other than in situations where she has to brief and command her fellow Espada, she is rarely known to initiate communication with anyone and spends much of her time sleeping. She is commonly indifferent to most of what happens behind her, though she will remember information that is needed for further use. The reason for this is because of her own power and intelligence; to her, there has never been a challenge or a new puzzle that she hasn't solved (which indicates a certain extent of arrogance). Despite her immense strength, she is not violent or arrogant, and is aware of the people that are above even her. She will never show hatred even for her enemies, only seeing them as opponents who she has to get by in order to achieve her goals. Even in combat, Casilda does not change her bored attitude, easily shrugging off taunts and insults made towards her way with a bored remark of her own (which can infuriate some). However, she can fight aggressively when needed, and is not afraid of brutal methods in order to take her opponent down. In an effort to bring up entertainment and a bit of challenge for herself, she will point out what the enemy is doing wrong so that he/she would be prepared to fight against her. In fights that do prove to be more of a surprise and obstacle to her, she will comment on the effect to her opponent in a complimentary manner. The seriousness of her depends on the seriousness of the battle at hand; she retained a mostly stern and calculated attitude in her duel with Sōsuke Aizen. As the Espada Afilado recieved the losing end of their fight with the Sennin Butai, however, she became much more cold and vengeful for how much her defeated troops suffered.The War of Four: Ultimatum of the Immortals Flaws & Issues Although she attempts not to be, Casilda can be lightly arrogant and prideful. Because of her initially unrivaled status as a combatant, she has a habit of walking into battles thinking too little of her enemy. Against particularly powerful opponents, this can often cost her ground and risk her life. Her behavior can occasionally come off as snotty, especially to enemies due to her bored act in the midst of combat. This seems to have faded away during the war against the Inner Circle and the Vandenreich, after the destruction and capture of Empresa. However, the assault against Hueco Mundo and the people killed has shaken her morale. It is taken to the point where she begins to question the decision to bring Empresa to safety if it meant leaving her people behind. in the after math of the Inner Circle's war, she shows signs of shell-shock. Beliefs & Philosophies Within her status as a military commander, Casilda's views take on a democratic approach while still taking on the nationalistic pride of the Afilado. While attempting to expand and promote civilization within Hueco Mundo, she appeals to the people and gives them indirect say in how they work. She advocates cooperation between other organized groups within Hueco Mundo in order to keep stability and maintain power between governments. At the same time, she aims to carry out the goals of the Primer Consejo and expand power and influence throughout the dimension wherever possible. She does not aim for trust and dependance on another, as she believes it would effectively weaken the power of both parties involved. However, she commonly adopts a position of mediation when it comes to internal issues in order to keep balance and equality rather than aim to completely dominate the other side. These beliefs were prominent in the Espada Afilado's internal conflicts with the Red Devils. Biography Early Life Casilda is the biological daughter of Nohemi de la Cruz and Jinete del Juicio, who resided as the Queen and King of Hueco Mundo. She was one of the Arrancar at the dawn of the Great Schism who survived the onslaught of the corrupt rebel forces and the Shinigami raid. She was the founder of the Espada Afilado, leaders selected in order to assist in the Hueco Mundo Reconstruction Movement as well as lead the growing Hollow military forces into combat effectively. Because of her veteran's status and despite her lazy personality, she was the main link that held the Espada Afilado together and led them to victories against their opposition. Later information reveals that she is part of a bloodline of a "special" breed of Hollow, with her parents successful results of the evolution. It is rumored that Casilda had personally found and recruited 666 into the Operaciones Especiales as her personal assassin. After the Espada Afilado's rise to power, they would begin their campaign in order to promote their cause across the dimension. They appealed to Hollows with the desire to cease the meaningless combat between sentient and more civilized beings. They kept influence from interfering with the Adjuchas's need to evolve by consuming each other, deeming this process to be necessary for the sake of producing valuable members of society. These "survivors" were sought out and informed by the propaganda of the Espada Afilado, and therefore could join under their banner. As Hollows were invited to become part of the growing oligarchic empire, buildings from long ago were re-erected, fixed, and rebuilt in order to accomodate the status of modern times. Within the expansion of several years, Casilda and the rest of the Afilado possessed considerable control over a little more than half of the dimension. Soon, however, other groups came to challenge Casilda's rule. The Ahijados, a year-long enemy, was resurfacing themselves in order for their own personal initiation of the Red Sun's Reconstruction. The more recent group was Herrera's Red Devils, another military group which had expanded its own influence within Hueco Mundo. Wishing to avoid conflict while keeping an eye on the terrorist Ahijados, Casilda sent an offering of truce to the leader Hererra, only for him to immediately reject the proposal. Following this, men independant of his armies but loyal to his cause started attacking Afilado-pocketed bases, resulting in moderate casualties on both sides. In order to keep balance and take advantage of Herrera's lack of watch over his shoulders, Casilda only focused internal divisions of the Espada Afilado to deal with the attacks, so that she could also focus hitting the Ahijados simultaneously without worry of stretching lines too far. Synopsis Children of Izanami Arc *Los Niños de Izanami: Confirmación *Los Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno (mentioned) *Los Niños de Izanami: Territorio del Gato *Los Niños de Izanami: Contención (mentioned) The War of Four *The War of Four: Ultimatum of the Immortals *The War of Four: Recollection *The War of Four: Persona Non Grata *The War of Four: Recovery *The War of Four: To the Victor *The War of Four: The Precipice of War *The War of Four: Seeds of Revelation Post-War of Four *El Sagrado Cruzada, The Queen Returns! *The War of Four: Aftermath Powers & Abilities Immense Spiritual Power: As the strongest Espada and a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, Casilda possesses tremendous spiritual energy that exceeds a Captain-level opponent's, her presence dangerously overwhelming when active. She is capable of bringing down any of the Espada below them to their knees with just the use of her spiritual pressure without any visible effort (with the majority of them being Captain-level). There have been few to truly rival her power and prowess, as she has been a veteran of the Great Schism as well as several other battles. *'Explosive Wires:' Casilda can wrap her own spiritual energy around her blade, manipulate, condense it, and swing it in the form of thin wires. At first, they seem to be harmless, invisible to the naked eye and near-impossible to detect by sense. However, they can prove to be quite a deadly weapon in terms of ambush and surprise tactics. When one touches the wires, they are subject to a powerful explosion of varying size and degree. Casilda can control when the trigger occurs, and can set these wires up in order to cage her opponents, or simply wrap them in the strings in order to finish them off quickly.Los Niños de Izanami: Territorio del Gato *'Enhanced Hierro:' Casilda's Hierro is highly formidable, her skin being able to withstand strikes from a Bankai-level opponent with minimal damage. The common Captain's Bankai is only capable of doing such, and in her released form, such attacks are non-existant to her. She can only be cut by opponents of equal calibre, and even then it takes effort in order to do so. *'Tornado Alley' (颶風路地, Gufū Roji): This ability is known to be Casilda's signature destruction move. The strength and potency of it is capable of destroying everything within four kilometers of its starting point and punching through anything that dares to stand in its way. Its size is several times that of skyscrapers and can consume an entire city. Because of its power, Casilda can only use it for a total of four times. Sonído Master: Casilda's Sonído speed is so great it is often mistaken for teleportation - the method of simply moving from one place to another. She takes great pride in this skill, using it commonly to catch opponents off-guard (particularly ones with confident and/or arrogant attitudes towards him). She is skilled at evading various attacks made by her enemies, keeping herself a steady defensive pace against an aggressor. Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Casilda possesses tremendous skill in swordsmanship, being able to fight on even ground with masters of swordsmanship. She is ambidextrous, capable of fighting with a sword in her left hand in her right. When fighting with both of his swords, she can prove to be a dangerous threat and can easily overwhelm her opponent if they're not careful enough. Her attacks are swift and precise, enabling her to land lethal blows to her opponent. A testament to her skill is being able to fight evenly with Kukkyōna Hayate, a Captain-level opponent and a noble of the Royal Hayate Family, while hinting that she had not been fighting at full strength.Los Niños de Izanami: Confirmación It is also stated by Col that her status as a fighter is legendary and unrivaled, a further testament to her skill.Los Niños de Izanami: Territorio del Gato Cero: Casilda's Cero is rose-colored. While initially standard, Casilda's way of using it prove to be quite unique. She is able to fire off a Cero without warning, as well as from various body parts such as the forehead, palm, and finger without a pose. The speed of her Cero is instantaneous, leaving little time for targets to react. :Cero Ametralladora (機関銃, Machine Gun Zero): This technique allows Casilda to unleash several Cero in a rapid-fire fashion. Individually, their power is somewhat weaker than her regular Cero, and it is somewhat draining if it is used for extended periods of time. :Cero El Fuego Salvaje (野生の火災ゼロ, Wildfire Cero): Casilda plunges her sword into the ground. A multitude of massive Cero pillars erupt from the ground and shoot to the sky. Their numbers and with are enough to consume a forth of a city. After a certain period of time, these pillars collapse and convert into the form of flames that fall down to earth. These flames are capable of incinerating everything and anything within their path. Bala: Casilda's Bala can not only be just used for projectile blasts, but she has also formed the ability to use its hardening trait as a means to enhance other attacks. By molding her reiatsu around her sword, she can increase its cutting power and even extend the blade for longer-range attacks. She can even mold a Bala into different shapes in order to suit the situation. Garganta: Garganta is how Arrancar move to and from Hueco Mundo. Casilda has the ability to use the technique. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. Genius Intellect: Casilda possesses a great amount of observance, intellect, and analyzation when in combat. Through a calm exterior, she can easily keep track of her opponent and note out even the small details of their attack pattern. She has a habit of analyzing her enemy first before commencing her own attacks in order to counter them. Because of her status as a long-running veteran, she is a gifted tactician and strategist, able to handle situations on the battlefield like a natural. Tríada (Spanish for "Triad"): As one of the few Arrancar to have been gifted with the state of transcendence, Casilda possesses the ability to utilize new sets of inherited abilities. These new abilities are mostly associated with the mind, soul and body on a spiritual level. These abilities are recognized and identified as a combat style known as Tríada. *'Mental Protection:' A passive ability that is constantly active upon the transcended Arrancar's birth. It protects the mind from foreign mental intrusion or attack, keeping her safe from the likes of illusions and other threats to her mind. Any disruption of perception is forced out and cleared immediately. The effect of this ability is potent enough to protect Casilda from illusions as strong as what the likes of Sōsuke Aizen and Yashin Shiyōnin are able to conjure up. *'Ilustración' (Spanish for "Enlightenment"): This ability is a positive enhancement of the state of mind. The indication of when Casilda is in the state of mind is subtle to an extent that such a visual change isn't usually noted by the enemy - the light fading away from the eyes. While in this state, Casilda's body can fight at a greater capacity than normal. It does not increase physical or spiritual prowess, but rather increases the body's reflexes and decreases the stress normally induced within combat. Casilda's body, as she describes, moves readily on its own to fight and counter the enemy. All movements are read clearly, making it next to impossible to ambush or surprise her. In addition, her person and her attacks are rendered immune to direct obstruction techniques or technology. She considers it to be one of the deadliest weapons within her arsenal. *'Derechos Sangre' (Spanish for "Blood Rights"): All Arrancar possess a natural connection to Hueco Mundo due to it being their birthplace. But only transcended Arrancar within Casilda's bloodline are capable of using that very connection as a means against any recognized intruders of Hueco Mundo and its soil. Casilda is capable of using this ability to a powerful extent, though not to the extent that her parents (or at least her mother would be capable of. She can control the flow of reishi within the surrounding area to her liking, performing feats such as using the reishi to suffocate or crush an opponent, enhancing her own already incredible durability to near invincibility by coating herself with the reishi, and even control the extent of a target's motions by increasing the density of reishi within an area. *'Mente Colmena' (Spanish for "Hive Mind"): This ability allows Casilda to communicate telepathically with other Arrancar - more specifically, Arrancar and Hollow under her command. Those targeted Arrancar have the ability of speaking back to her, but only when she establishes the connection. *'Aspects of Death:' The primary ability utilized by transcended Arrancar revolves around the Aspects of Death. According to Nohemi, these powers are the representation of the aspects weaponized. She claims them not to be defined in terms of spiritual or physical energy, but instead the essence of the Hollow. Prominent users of these aspects are capable of bending the very fabric of existence to their whim. **'Number Zero - Rage:' A special Aspect that can't be activated unless certain circumstances are met. When one feels deep anger and hatred towards a particularly threatening or traumatizing event (e.g. comrades and family being threatened or killed, confrontation with a particularly malevolent enemy), she can call on this ability and fall into an enhanced battle trance. Upon initiation, Casilda raises her arms over her head in a cross before throwing them out, releasing a buildup of spiritual pressure. Notably, a particularly massive release can wipe out nearby structures depending on the user's power. In this state, the body glows red. Attacks made by her will have their strength enhanced to the point where nearly any opposing defense will fail completely. In addition, enemy offense will be highly limited; physical strikes are battered aside, if their sources cannot be shattered, and energy projectiles will be wiped away. Actual blows that land will do little to slow her down, unless those blows are inhibiting and incapacitory. However, these enhanced abilities come at a price; when Casilda comes out of the trance, whatever wounds sustained will take their toll. This can consequently be life-threatening if multiple severe injuries were sustained during the trance. **'Number One - Solitude:' One of the more versatile abilities from the Aspects. It allows Casilda to isolate one object from another for a decided period of time. The objects in question can be pf physical, spiritual and even mental value. It is possible for her to isolate a limb or an organ from the body in order to keep it from being damaged, a property from an energy construct in order to completely dismantle or change its form, or even pieces of the mind to shield from psychic attacks. Unlike her mother, she hasn't completely mastered this ability. **'Number Two - Time:' An aspect that mostly relies on contact with the enemy in order to activate. When an opponent makes physical contact with the user, the offending appendage or weapon will succumb to accelerated aging. Metal will rust and break apart, flesh will wear down and even decay, and energy constructs will dissolve by the spiritrons. The extent and effect of the acceleration depends on Casilda's will, extended as far as complete decomposition of the object. If Casilda initiates physical contact with a spot where a target's organ is located, she can cause that organ to undergo degradation and failure. A blow to the hand or arm can cause arthritis, a blow to the lungs can cause them to become infected, and a blow to the heart can cause it to go into cardiac arrest. **'Number Three - Sacrifice:' The idea of using sacrifice as a weapon is a common, metaphorically rousing one, but was never taken literally unless its within Casilda's case. Casilda can sow an innumerable amount of empathetic bonds through simple proximity, whether its a part of her own body or a simple location, even comrades and family, Casilda has developed a powerful embodiment of connection with them all. Should any one of them be cut, or psychically remembered, any lost Spiritual Energy, limbs, blood, or even the will to fight will be regained instantaneously, and will continue to empower her through that link. Likewise, she can transfer her own body's strength to preserve anyone she cherishes, or temporally shift her own energy to become a weapon, shield, or preservation of life to anyone or anything she cares for. **'Number Four - Emptiness:' The ability to take the idea of emptiness and turning it into a weapon is a frightening power that Casilda possesses. Through a simple spiritual pressurized ejection and overlapping her enemy, she can take the strongest enemy and make them feel insignificant within their soul, as if they are nothing in comparison to her, as the only power they feel in their battle will be her own. Likewise, she can also use it on herself, making her seem faster and invisible to most trained warriors basing their skills of perception through sensory and visual prowess, as she can make herself seem almost intangible within an ocean of spiritual energy. Physically, she can manifest distorted rips of negative energy within the air to absorb to tear things apart spacially, much like how a singularity or a black hole would preform. **'Number Five - Despair:' Focused around the conception of despair, Casilda has the power break her enemy's will through projection of her own. Similar to how one uses killing intent to intimidate or paralyze prey, Casilda's spiritual pressure can be used in a way that when it is felt by targets, it can cause them to experience delusions of varying severity. When they are under this effect, even normally mundane feats performed by her will produce the effect of intimidation. Normal feats of her walking forward will seem drive them into a corner, or her standing near them would make her being tower over her. Even a verbal threat will drive them into a state of abandonment of hope, as a prolonged battle will mentally scar them to the point of losing the will to fight. **'Number Six - Destruction:' The concept for absolute annihilation, Casilda favors this ability due to the versatility in use for this power. What would be simple venting of spiritual pressure can be transformed into a bodily ejection of nuclear-equivalent flames, effectively turning the entire area around her or forcefully discharged from her hand our mouth into a crisp, ash-ridden surface. In another use, she can use this aspect to create a microscopic Ocular Scalpel, in which she can dilate her pupils to target the enemy's brain, causing instantaneous lobotomy. Another form would be to use it in a tactile sense, in which her index fingers would forcefully disintegrate anything it touches or dishcarge transparet super-heated energy in order to do so. A much more grandscale use with ultimate destructive capability would mirror the Gran Rey Cero, being much larger and focused, with the ability to home in on any given target, ripping their atomic structure apart within a spacial scale. **'Number Seven - Intoxication:' A power stemming from the aspect of intoxication, Casilda is able to turn any commonly lethal or painful sensation caused by her enemy and turn it into bliss or focus to empower her "Resolve". This comes from manipulating her own spirit energy to forcefully change the sensory nodes within her nervous system to turn switches along her spiritronic flow to alter certain areas of her body to increase outputs of adrenaline or sensations of pleasure, even enhance the pain nodules or deaden them entirely. This can be adapted to simply making tactile contact with an enemy and forcibly scramble their own spiritronic system to ensure their nervous system is mixed, making them unable to move properly, or even shut it down into a paralytic state temporarily or even overload it. **'Number Eight - Greed:' The ability in which Casilda utilizes her power to amass foreign energy into herself to nullify or enhance her own strength. Similar to how one consumes anything within reach with gluttony and covetousness, Casilda can also adapt an enemy's power used against her to suit her needs to heal her wounds, turn it against them, or enhance any of her powers. Much more advanced uses would be like a similar use of the Quincy technique Sklaverei, in which she consumes her opponents physically in order to gain their bodily and spiritual abilities. Zanpakutō Verdugo (死刑執行人, Beredugo; Spanish for Executioner, Japanese for Innocent Man's Killer): Cortez's swords take the form of two Chinese scimitars. The guards are golden and square, and the bottom of the hilts have what appear to be a red fur hanging from the tip. :Resurrección: Verdugo's release command is "Punish" (処罰, shobatsu). Upon the statement of the command, her spiritual energy is expulsed in the form of a massive sky-scraping pillar. Then, it collapses into a demi-sphere shockwave massive enough to consume a city before dissipating. Initially, she carried a different from each time she used her Resurrección due to her physical immaturity in her bloodline. In her final form, she takes the visage of a humanoid being. Her attire consists of an elegant one-piece dress with two massive circular discs tied to a sash on both sides of her waist. She also wears white-and-black high-heel boots in replacement of her usual sandals. Her hair, eyes and skin take on a pale white color. :Resurrección Special Ability: Like the majority of other Resurrección, Verdugo undoes all the restraints her unreleased form has, allowing her to fight without being held back. Because of its power, it is highly feared by even the likes of the Espada below her. :*'Overwhelming Spiritual Power:' The tremendous amount of spiritual energy Casilda has is increased to higher levels. The power she exudes can ultimately kill weaker opponents and make it difficult for others with high levels of energy to move around or even breathe without struggle. The release of Casilda's Resurrección is enough to disrupt the very atmosphere within Yūrei's capital city, summoning lightning storm over the region. It is not uncommon for those near her in this form to believe her to be no different from an angel or holy deity. :*'Enhanced Sonído:' Casilda's speed is greatly enhanced to the point of being able to re-appear from one point to another, crossing a long distance within seconds. Her speed increases the "teleportation" effect, and she appears to simply teleport from one location to another without any visual sign of Sonído. :*'Immense Strength:' Casilda's spiritual energy merges with her physical power in this form, increasing its power to phenomenal levels. The very weight of her power weighs her down to one spot, hence the reason she relies more heavily on the use of Sonído. One flap of the wings is enough to produce a massive shockwave capable of leveling several buildings within a considerable radius as well as blow away opponents who are too close to her. :*'Cero Cometa' (Spanish for "Comet Zero"): A variant of the Cero technique. The Cero is launched from her sword in the form of a comet, causing immense explosive damage upon contact. :*'Pulso Tormenta' (Spanish for "Pulse Storm"): An ability inherited from her mother. After building up energy to her position, Casilda unleashes it in the form of an initial pillar. The visage of the pillar is a brilliant and shimmering blue, is somewhat transparent, and can consume everything within a considerable radius. After a few seconds, that pillar begins to expand outward at immense speeds, consuming anything and anyone. Outwardly, this seems to serve as an outright destructive attack, as its power is capable of annihilating everything within its path. However, Casilda can specifically target who and what gets destroyed within the radius. :*'Sangre Escudo' (Spanish for "Blood Shield"): A defensive technique. It is a hemispherical spiritual barrier that extends to Casilda's immediate area. The strength behind the barrier, thanks to the power of Verdugo, holds a considerable amount of power to the point of being able to hold against attacks of genocidal levels. The color of this barrier is white with a red tint. :*'Crucifixión' (Spanish for "Crucifiction"): An offensive technique. For it to be activated, Casilda has to carve an activation rune underneath her feet - a process which can take up valuable seconds in the heat of combat. Once completed successfully and activated, the target's arms are restrained to an outwards position at the sides while the feet are bound together in a cross position. Another rune forms directly above the target in the sky, with a ground rune forming if the target is not directly under Casilda. A pillar of destructive light-like energy links the pillars, catching the bound target in the middle. This attack has the ability to completely vaporize anything caught in its boundaries. :*'Tornado Alley:' In this state, her signature Tornado Alley attack is increased to much more dangerous levels. The arcs evolve into massive pillars of energy, each one capable of consuming an entire city block with width. These pillars seem to shoot from the sky and are capable of vaporizing anything within their path. Trivia/Behind The Scenes *Cortez's theme song is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk1sMJ1PXhA Grace by Apocalyptica]. *The beginning letters in Casilda's first and last name are a play off of the former Primera's, Coyote Starrk - a reference to him, to be exact. *Casilda's personality seems to be somewhat of a mirror of 6th Division Captain Kukkyōna Hayate. Their nature as Hollow and Shinigami can be seen as an underlying theme to the warfare that has been waged between them and indicating how similar the two races can really be. Quotes References